How to make a retirement group card everyone can sign
Collect messages from current and former colleagues with one shareable link, give people a week or two, and deliver the card on the retirement day, then keep the messages as a printed book. Penround does this in ChatGPT: signers use any browser without an account, you approve every message, and the messages can be printed as an 8.5 × 8.5 inch hardcover keepsake that ships in the US and Canada.
Step by step
- Start two weeks ahead. Retirement cards reach people who left years ago, and they need time to hear about it.
- Reach beyond the current team. Send the link to former colleagues, clients and, if it suits, family. Anyone with the link can sign.
- Ask for a memory, not just a wish. A short prompt like "a moment you remember with Linda" gets warmer messages than "sign the card".
- Ask for old photos. Each signer can add one photo. Old team photos are often the favorite pages.
- Approve every message. Read each one before it goes on the card, and hide anything that doesn’t belong.
- Deliver it on the day. Schedule the email for the retirement day, in the recipient’s time zone, or share the card’s link at the party.
- Order the book. Printing and shipping take about 12 to 13 business days in the US (7 to 8 with Express). Order about three weeks ahead to have it at the party, or send it afterwards.
Ways to do it, compared
| Paper card passed around | Online group-card sites (for example GroupTogether) | Penround in ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Former colleagues and family can sign | Only if they are nearby | Yes, by link | Yes, by link |
| Messages private until delivery | No | Depends on the site | Yes; signers see only a count |
| You approve every message | No | Depends on the site | Yes |
| Photos with messages | Taped in | Yes | One per message |
| Delivered at a set time | By hand | Usually | Yes, in the recipient’s time zone |
| Printed keepsake | The card itself | Some print a book or poster | Optional hardcover, one message per page |
When something else fits better
If the company also wants to collect money for a gift, use a site that collects payments alongside the card: Penround doesn’t collect money.
Use Penround in ChatGPT
In ChatGPT, open Plugins, search for Penround and add it, or mention Penround in a chat. Then ask, for example:
- “Start a retirement card for Linda that past and present colleagues can sign by June 20”
- “Who has signed so far?”
- “Can I get these messages as a printed book?”
Available in ChatGPT soon How Penround works in ChatGPT
Questions
How far ahead should I start?
About two weeks for the card. Add about three weeks if you want the printed book at the party.
Can people outside the company sign?
Yes. Anyone with the link can sign in a browser, with no account. Signers confirm they are 13 or older.
How many people can sign?
A card can collect up to 300 messages. The printed book holds up to 150, one per page.
What is in the printed book?
An 8.5 × 8.5 inch hardcover with the recipient’s name on the cover, your note, one message per page with its photo, and a page of everyone who signed. It ships to the US and Canada.